Astros 8, Red Sox 1: Disputed replay opens door for grand slam, rout

BOSTON — Joe Kelly probably could have blamed shoddy defense behind him for his demise Sunday had so much blame not been left to direct at himself.

Brian MacPherson Journal Sports Writer brianmacp

BOSTON — Joe Kelly probably could have blamed shoddy defense behind him for his demise Sunday had so much blame not been left to direct at himself.

Defensive misplays by Yoenis Cespedes and Xander Bogaerts combined with a career-worst six walks issued by Kelly to doom the Red Sox to an 8-1 loss to the visiting Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park. Kelly allowed a pair of home runs, including a grand slam to Jose Altuve.

The defeat left Boston with a split of a four-game series against the same Houston team it had twice beaten by lopsided scores in a three-game series at Minute Maid Park just before the All-Star break.

The Red Sox played most of the game without manager John Farrell, who was ejected in the second inning after a controversial play at second base — a controversy that never would have happened had Bogaerts stepped on second base before throwing to first base to finish what should have been an inning-ending double play.

A walk and two singles loaded the bases for the Astros with no outs in the second inning. Left fielder Marc Krauss lofted a fly ball to left field that a turned-around Cespedes failed to catch before it fell within arm’s reach on the dirt of the warning track, pushing the game’s first run across.

Two batters later, after a sacrifice fly, Marwin Gonzalez hit a ground ball up the middle that deflected off Kelly and rolled to Bogaerts. The rookie shortstop took three hard steps toward second base, where a simple force and relay to first base would have ended the inning — and that’s what the umpires initially ruled had happened.

But Bogaerts had released his throw to first a half-step before he actually stepped on second base.

Houston manager Bo Porter immediately argued the play and asked for an instant-replay review.

What looked like a problem for Porter was that the newly instituted replay system specifically excepts the “neighborhood play” — defined by rule as “The umpire’s judgment that a runner is clearly out on a force play at second base under circumstances in which the defensive player may or may not have touched second base in his attempt to complete a double play and avoid a collision with the runner.”

Replay officials in New York ruled that the race to the bag was its own distinct play rather than part of a continuous double-play turn — a decision that permitted the umpires to review the replay. Farrell immediately emerged from the dugout to argue the decision to go to the video.

“Based on the call from field level back to New York, they determined that it was a play that could be reviewed,” Farrell said. “My initial explanation on the field [from the umpires] was that the front end of a double play was a non-reviewable play, and my interpretation is that the neighborhood play should not be dependent on the feed throw or not. A neighborhood play is not a reviewable play.”

“We have not had that play, per se, where the shortstop or the second baseman go right to the bag on their own,” crew chief Jim Joyce said. “(The replay center in) New York came back to me and said, ‘Yes, that play is reviewable.’”

“The first explanation I got completely contradicts what took place,” Farrell said. “The front end of a double play is not reviewable at second base regardless of how it comes about. That didn’t seem to be the case.”

The replay clearly showed that Bogaerts had released the ball before he stepped on the base.

Two batters later, after Kelly had issued the second of his six walks in the game, Altuve launched a hanging slider from Kelly over the Green Monster for a grand slam. That swing made the score 6-0 and all but decided the game.

Altuve had barely finished circling the bases when Farrell was ejected for persisting in his argument from the dugout.

Kelly allowed another home run in the third inning, a solo blast off the bat of Dexter Fowler over the bullpens in right field. He put two more runners on via walks in the third inning but stranded them both, and he walked two more and allowed a hit to load the bases in the fourth before wiggling out of it. That ended his outing — four innings, seven earned runs, six walks, three strikeouts.

In 17 innings pitched with the Red Sox since he was acquired for John Lackey on July 31, Kelly has issued 13 walks and struck out nine.

“I just found myself nibbling in the beginning when I shouldn’t have instead of just pounding the zone,” Kelly said Sunday. “I just started missing. When I made a good pitch, it was hard for the umpire to call it a strike because I was throwing so many balls. I had six walks, which is absolutely horrible.”

“I couldn’t command my fastball, and they made me pay for it.”

Daniel Nava hit an RBI double to score Brock Holt with the lone Red Sox run — and then immediately was caught off second base, short-circuiting a potential rally.